Hidden World of the Aztec

by Peter Lourie

Overview

In 1521 the world of the Aztecs came to a sudden end when Hernán Cortés, the Spanish conquistador, destroyed their capital. The ruins of that city lie beneath the streets of modern-day Mexico City. Peter Lourie traveled to Mexico City to meet the renowned archaeologist Leonardo López Luján. With Dr. Luján as his guide, the author viewed the diggings at the Aztec Great Temple, and even met the God of Death in the basement of the temple's museum.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780984863761
Publisher:	Snake Mountain Press
Publication date:	10/31/2016
Pages:	50
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.13(d)
Lexile:	1040L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 6 Years

About the Author

Peter Lourie's travels in Brazil led to his book AMAZON: A Young Reader's Look at the Last Frontier. His search for gold in the mountains of Ecuador is the subject of THE LOST TREASURE OF THE INCA. He has written about whales, manatees and polar pears and is now working on books about Jack London in the Klondike gold rush and the ancient roads of the Inca empire.

Editorial Reviews

The latest stop in his photographic tour of ancient American civilizations brings Lourie to excavations beneath the streets of both Mexico City and the pre-Aztec ruins of Teotihuacan. Prefacing each short chapter with a passage of usually rather valedictory Aztec poetry, he offers brief visitor's impressions while following archeologists into digs at the Great Temple and later, the Pyramid of the Moon. He fills in historical background with notes on Aztec society (not quite as blood-soaked, he suggests, as often portrayed) and an account of Cortes's catastrophic arrival. A generous array of big color photos range from pictures of modern cityscapes to huge preserved ancient structures, from vivid manuscript illustrations and stone carvings to engaging scenes of scientists engrossed in their careful work. Writing with contagious enthusiasm, the author will kindle in readers the same wonder he feels at the way clues to our shared past are being found in these places nearly every day. (bibliography) (Nonfiction. 10-12)

Kirkus Reviews